KUALA LUMPUR: Negri Sembilan head coach Daniel Gimenez could only laugh in exasperation after seeing his charges squander late chances in Saturday's 1-1 Super League draw against Sabah at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi.
The Deer dominated the contest with 14 attempts and 60 per cent possession, cancelling out Gonzalo Di Renzo's first-half stoppage-time opener through a 68th-minute penalty by Jovan Motika.
However, the hosts were left kicking themselves after squandering several open sitters in the dying moments, leaving Gimenez clutching his head on the touchline.
"What do we do? I cannot enter the pitch and score, and I cannot call Ronaldo or Messi!" Gimenez said.
"When you look at the statistics, we had 14 chances, four corners, and 60 per cent possession, while the opponent had only one real chance and scored. It is disappointing, but one point is better than none.
"You cannot blame a young player like Alif (Mutalib). Other players wouldn't even have made that sprint to get into that position.
"It's part of football. When opponents make mistakes, you benefit; when you make mistakes, you get hurt. The important thing is that the courage and personality are there."
Over in the Sabah camp, surviving the late siege came at a heavy price, with the Rhinos' head coach Juan Torres Garrido given marching orders late in the match amid frayed tempers on the bench.
Sabah assistant coach Alto Linus was quick to clarify the red-card incident, insisting it was born out of internal frustration rather than match official dissent.
"The head coach's (Garrido) reaction was not directed at the referee," Alto said.
"He was purely frustrated with our own team's gameplay and lack of control in the closing stages. But perhaps from the referee's perspective or body language, it resulted in a red card."
Alto also voiced strong concerns over the deteriorating ground conditions and poor visibility at Paroi, which were compounded by heavy pre-match rain and a blanket of haze.
"Around the 75th minute, it became very dark and hazy. We had already voiced our concerns to the match commissioner prior to kickoff, but they decided to proceed, and as visitors, we had to respect that. In conditions as dark as that, our biggest fear was our players getting injured," he said.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd